Bella Notte
by Pazel
Summary: For the Ouran contest. Princess Haruhi's father has gotten sick with the terrible illness that took her mother's life. The only way to heal him? Find Tamaki the Healer, a peasant from the port town of Ouran before the witch, Eclair.


It was morning, and I heard the entire house in a bustle from outside of my door. The voices were hushed and hurried; I was unsure if they were excited or anxious over some strange event that I was ignorant of.

I pushed the puffy blankets off of my bed, a ball in my stomach. I suppose you would call it women's intuition that I felt as that something was wrong. I knew something was wrong.

I opened my door slowly, and I was face-to-face with my maid, Haruka.

"Oh! P-princess Haruhi! I was just about to get you," she stuttered.

"What is it, Haruka?" I forced myself to ask.

Her eyes avoided mine. "Well, it's your father-"

I took a step backwards and fell to my knees. "Is it the illness?"

"I'm afraid it is. We're moving you from this house immediately."

I was quiet for a moment. "No. I'm staying. We moved to this small shack after mother caught the same disease, and I am not leaving my home again in fear of getting sick."

"But, princess!" Haruka exclaimed. "It's unsafe! You know there is no cure; that once it's caught, there's nothing even our best doctors can do. You are the heir to the throne, Princess! You must say well, or our country will go into devastation from disease, and war for the throne!"

I shook my head. Her words seared into my heart, and tears began to fall. "I will not leave my father like I did my mother!"

Haruka bowed and backed out of my room as I cried softly. Panic, fear, and self-pity blanketed me. I didn't want to be queen yet! I didn't want to be an orphan!

It was less than two hours later that Haruka burst into my room. I was still crying on my bed, just barely calmed yet.

"Princess!" she screamed, frantic beyond expression.

I immediately sat upright, terrified that my father's life had been taken from me.

"We're under attack, Princess!"

I rushed past her to my father's room, ignoring Haruka's stern, "Princess, no!" as I closed the door, demanding privacy.

He was asleep; feverish. I knelt beside him, lacking the heart to wake him. I kissed his forehead and left the house.

Still in my bed dress, I rushed to my father's prized white pegasus, Host, and mounted it. I took off to town at full speed, my long brown hair whipping my face. In town, the army was gathered. They all turned to me as I flew up to them. Not a one spoke. No woman had ever dared to join an army, especially not one of royal descent. They stared, dumbstruck, as I stopped in front of them.

"What's happening?" I demanded.

My father's second-in-command, Misuzu, was the one who spoke to me. "Princess, why are you here?"

His question irked me. We were wasting time with smalltalk! "Take me to the fight," I told him calmly.

He pulled on the reins of his pegasus, Club. "Fine," he said, and Club began to flap. I followed, although no one in the army did the same.

I stopped, and turned to them. "Either follow me, or go home, understand?"

Slowly, one by one, knights came forward with powerful flaps of their pegasus' wings to where the rivers met. There, on a boulder across the river, sat a beautiful woman.

"Careful," Misuzu warned, "she's a witch with powerful manipulating powers and a terrifying magic prowess."

I got off Host and talked to the riverbank.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The witch stared at me through golden binoculars. Her thin lips turned up in an evil smile. "My, my. Aren't you a spunky one?"

"Who are you?" I repeated.

"I suppose that is for you to find out, isn't it?" She laughed. "I can't believe you actually brought so many reinforcements. Did you think that I would hurt you?" She brought her binoculars down and looked at me through slitted eyes. "I'm not interested in any of you. I can tell he's not here."

"Who is he?"

The witch laughed again. "Well, I suppose I could tell you. I'm looking for a peasant by the name of Tamaki the Healer. Do you know of him, Queen?"

"I don't know him," I said. "And I'm not the queen."

"Well, that's too bad. I'll have to find him, then, won't I? - Oh, but you will be soon, won't you? Your father has the illness that has pillaged this country, has he not? That's why _you're _leading the army, and not _him, _am I right?"

I frowned. "You're right. But that's not important."

She jumped off of the boulder and landed in front of me. Misuzu kicked Club and it trodded over in between us. "I believe that's enough," Misuzu said. "We don't know this healer you speak of. Leave, before we kill you."

The witch chuckled. "Let's not resort to violence. I'm leaving." She jumped into the air and looked down at me. "But once I find the healer, I will be unstoppable. No one else will use his powers but me."

I rushed right home to my father, who had just woken up.

"Father! Do you know Tamaki the Healer?" I asked him.

He nodded. "But why, my daughter?"

"A witch is looking for him. I must find him first."

"You will find him in the town of Ouran, about four hours east of here. He is tall, with blond hair and purple eyes. You'll find him by the piano."

As I opened my mouth to ask how he knew all of this, he interrupted me.

"There are certainly a lot of things in this world that you can't do anything about, try though you might. Remember, Haruhi, this is exactly why you can't hesitate when it''s time to stick things out." His breathing became heavy, as if the words took too much energy from him. I kissed his forehead again. He began to mumble the name of my mother and fell asleep shivering.

I dressed and mounted Host again, and took off to the east.

Five hours later, I was in the port town of Ouran. As soon as I got there, I learned of a festival to be held in two days, and a ball the day after, from each of the girls I happened to fly by. I went straight to a small café. There had to be food there, and I hadn't eaten at all that day.

"Tamaki the Healer. Blond and purple eyed. Piano? Alright. Where could he be? It's a huge city!" I muttered to myself as I tied Host to a pole outside the café.

As I turned, I came face-to-face with two orange-haired twins.

"Uhm, hello?" I asked.

"Why are you talking about Tono?" they asked me simultaneously.

"Tono?" I asked skeptically.

"Yeah, the blond, purple-eyed ditz you're muttering about."

"I never called him a ditz," I explained.

They ignored me. "You can't meet him. He doesn't heal the illness you're looking for him to."

"H-how do you know I'm looking for a healing?"

"That's all anyone is looking for these days," the twin on the right told me bitterly.

I refused to believe them. "I must see him!"

"Why?"

"I won't tell you. Just let me, please!"

The twins' eyes widened. I cocked my head at their reactions, but they just smiled. "We'll let you-"

"Than-"

"-if you can beat us in a game."

"A... game?"

The two smirked. They were mirrors, almost, as if their thoughts were synchronized. "The Which One is Hikaru game! Can you tell?"

I frowned. "That's impossible! I don't even know both of your names! It would just be a random guess, and I couldn't back it up. Even if I got it right, you could lie, and I would have no idea."

"Fine!" they sighed.

The one on the right said, "I'm Kaoru."

The one on the left said, "I'm Hikaru."

The look they shared was so fast and small that I was hardly sure that I saw it at all. Call it women's intuition, but I know there had been something there.

"That.. a lie," I said. To the one on the right I said, "you're Hikaru." To the other, I said, "you're Kaoru."

They smiled evilly. "Is that your _final _answer? It was really quick. We won't let you see Tono unless you get it right."

I nodded. "Final answer."

They laughed. "Wrong!"

"No, I'm right. First, you lie to me about your names, because you want to be sure I don't get to him. But then you ask for my final answer, because you were surprised when I called you out on your lie. You obviously care about this Tamaki guy a lot, and you're doing it for him, so I'm not mad at you."

They blinked, and straightened up. For the first time since I had begun talking to them, they were at a loss for words.

"I'll get Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai," Hikaru whispered to his brother. He went into the café, and for the moment the door was open, I heard a beautiful melody tumble out as someone played the piano with expert precision.

The boy came back out soon, followed by two other boys and the same romantic melody. Hikaru and Kaoru nodded, and left back into the café.

The two new boys were polar opposites- a small blond with a happy face and a giant brunette with a stern look.

The blond giggled. "I'm Hani!

"Mori," the tall one said.

"Wow, is that your pegasus?" Hani asked. "It's beautiful! Have you put it out to stud?"

"No, it's my father's. But, yeah, we have. But we give them to the army as presents. Sometimes we sell them to the lords, though."

"Wow! You must be really rich!"

I smiled a uncomfortably. "You could say that."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Haruhi."

Hani's eyes widened like brown saucers. He looked up at Mori, who simply nodded as if he knew what was on Hani's mind. I wondered what they had just communicated, but I felt as if I would explode if I were to be around any more telepathic people.

"Well, Haru-chan, you do see why we have to protect Tama-chan, don't you?" Hani asked.

_"_Yes, I do see why- and who are you calling _Haru-chan?!_"

"Then you'll pardon us when we give you a task, too?" Hani asked me, ignoring my outburst.

"Why must you? I just want to speak to him! It's important!"

"Haru-chan, we can't have all of these people bothering him. Everyone expects that he can work miracles, and it leaves him heartbroken when he can't. But you're worried about your throne, aren't you?"

"What about my throne?"

"Eclair, the witch, wants it."

"She- she never said that."

"She's after your entire kingdom. Once she gets Tamaki, she'll be unstoppable. Their powers are compatible, you know, and he will greaten her strength considerably."

"So, she's coming after my crown?"

"Yes."

"We must get Tamaki out of here and away from her!"

"We've tried, to get away from everyone trying to use him, but he won't listen," Hani told me. "He won't leave here."

"Fine. What's your test?"

"A fight," Hani told me, his voice suddenly solemn and his face serious. "If you beat us, you won't have to worry about us getting in the way ever again."

"What are the conditions?"

"You may get as big of a group together as you can manage, but we will be fighting just Takashi and I. You may use weapons, but neither of us will. You have until tomorrow morning at 7:15 sharp. Those are the conditions."

I accepted, and began around the city, asking for help. Everyone either laughed at me, or ran away as fast as they could.

That night, I met up with the twins coincidentally.

"Why won't anyone fight against Hani or Mori? Don't they have any enemies or something?"

"Nope," Hikaru said. "No one is stupid enough to fight them."

"What do you mean?"

"They're incredibly strong," Kaoru explained. "They could kill someone with a flick of their fingers."

"Good luck!" Hikaru said, patting my back.

They began to walk away, but turned to me. "Need a place to stay?"

That was how I ended up sleeping at their house.

The twins, who slept in the same bed, offered it to me.

"You're a guest," they said, "and a girl."

"It's your bed; it's ok."

"We insist!" they giggled. I was skeptical, but they fell asleep soon, as did I.

That morning, Hikaru drove me to the spot where the fight would be. The carriage was headed by unicorns, a close cousin of the pegasus that I drove, but not as expensive or valuable, nor as lowly as a horse or ox. As the carriage flowed uneasily over the bumpy ground, we passed a scene that made me scream to stop it. Two drunkards were harassing a group of girls. One of them was hugging two of them close to him so they couldn't get away, while the other was flirting with the third.

Hikaru stopped the carriage. "What? Why? Because of them? Don't bother; it's not your fight. We have to be there by 7:15 sharp, or else they'll win by default."

I jumped out of the carriage. "Hey! Stop that!" I screamed at the men.

"Oh? Lookie here, another pretty girl! You think you're all spunky, yelling at us?" the leader of the group asked me. He waved his hands, and his friend let the girls go. They came at me, and I backed up until my back hit a tree.

"Run!" I screamed to the girls. "Go!"

They stared at me, terrified, then ran off.

Just as the leader of the two grabbed at my dress, a blur came through the trees and kicked him away.

Hani landed gracefully in front of me, and Mori walked up next to me and patted my head.

"Good job," he said with a pleased smile on his face.

Hani took care of the two men, and we all got into the carriage.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

Kaoru laughed. "You're so fastidious, but you don't get it yet?"

I shook my head.

"It was a set-up, Haru-chan!" Hani exclaimed. "We knew you could never beat us. We're too strong for you. So, we led those girls to danger (promising them protection, of course!) and let the drunkards think they just got a lucky break."

"Why?"

"We'll only explain after this last test."

"Eh? Another one?"

"Just one more, Haru-chan."

The carriage stopped in front of a house where a boy with dark hair and glasses waited on the steps. He stood, his glasses reflecting the light, and walked over to us. He held out his hand, which I took, and helped me out.

"Are you alright, Princess?"

"Wow, Kyoya-senpai! It's rare for _you _to use terms of endearment," Kaoru said with a little laugh.

"It's not a _term, _as much as a _title, _Kaoru," he explained.

"Huh?"

Kyoya smiled. "Nevermind." He turned to me. "Are you ready for your last test?"

I nodded.

"Save Tamaki."

"What?"

Kyoya turned to the house. "Renge!"

A girl bounced out. "Yes, Kyoya? Oh! She's here!"

"I- what?"

Renge, a girl with light brown hair and a large pink bow walked over to me and knelt on the ground. I mimicked her.

She looked at me in the eyes. "Do you believe in crystal balls?"

"Not really. I don't actually believe in magic."

Renge shook her head, becoming very quiet and centered. "You're wrong. It's real. Isn't it, Kyoya?"

"It is," he said with a small nod.

"Watch," she commanded. She pulled out a crystal ball out of her large sleeves and placed it on the dirt. Her hands waved over it, and she looked into the ball with great focus. "You're a good princess. You're mother died when you were a child, and you were forced to leave the castle to get away from the illness. You blamed yourself, didn't you? I see you crying alone in your room. What you didn't know was that there was your father on the other side of the door, crying, too. Each time you forced yourself to smile, I see him crying. Fathering you and being a good king... you saw how hard that was. You were very adult for your young age. Here, you're only six. You're terrified of something; I think it's thunder. Yes, it's definitely thunder. He's busy, signing a law, and you want him near you. Your mother was always there to hold you through storms, but here, you're in a strange new home, and all alone. You won't go get him, because he's busy." She looked up at me with sad eyes. "You tried to be so adult, that you've forgotten how to be a child. Your mother is so sad. She's heartbroken that she's left you to find your way without a single light of guidance. That's why Tamaki is in your stars. She aligned it that way. She wants him to be your spark; your light; your sun."

I was stunned. So stunned that it took all I had to not cry. I didn't want to believe her words. I didn't want my mother to be heartbroken, but how would she know? How did she know what I was afraid of? Not even my father knew.

"I foretold your coming," she said softly. "Tamaki is in your stars, and thus, you are in his also."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"You're destined for each other."

"....What?"

"Go inside, and you'll see."

I went into the house, and the sounds of a piano song overtook me. It filled me, emptied me, and left me floating. I followed the trail of notes to a small room that held nothing more than a grand piano and a bench. All I could see was the back of a woman who had her arms around the piano player.

I stayed silent as the song did things to my heart that no song had ever done before. When it was finished, I opened my mouth and barely breathed, "that was beautiful."

The piano player stood up, shaking the woman off. I didn't even notice him.

The woman stared at me through slitted eyes- the witch.

My eyes happened to turn to the boy, who had said something to me that I hadn't heard, and there my eyes locked.

"I asked you, 'how long were you listening'?" he cried.

"A... while," I answered. The boy was the most handsome person I had ever seen. He had silky blond hair and kind purple eyes that stared at me frantically.

"To the basement!" the witch screamed. Someone grabbed me and carried me down the stairs into the dark basement.

I looked up to see Kyoya. He nodded silently, and I felt as if I was safe.

That night, after a long period of time alone, the basement door opened slowly, and Tamaki slid in holding a candle for light.

"Princess?" he asked to the darkness.

My heart raced, and I ran to the door. "Y-y-yes?" I blurted out. I placed one hand over my mouth and another over my heart. I was clammy, and my heart pounded in my chest.

He handed me a simple dinner of bread and water, and sat on the stairs with me. "I'm sorry you're stuck down here," he said, his voice sad.

"It's fine!" I exclaimed. I didn't know why I was acting this way; I just didn't want him to be sad.

"It's my fault," he growled. "What you heard was a love song. Not your ordinary love song, but one laced with a special type of magic."

"You were trying to make her fall in love with you?" I asked. That hurt a lot, but I didn't understand why.

"No," he said, and I felt instantly better, "I was trying to make myself fall for her."

"Why?"

"She's in love with me. She says that she'll never be happy with anyone else. So, I decided that, even if magic makes me love her, what will it matter? I won't know it's just magic." He smiled at me. "But my magic has never worked on me. I don't know why. That song you heard was the strongest love song I've ever put together. I hoped it would have some effect, but..." he let his sentence hang off like that, and he laughed. "And I made you fall for me! What a devil I am! Ha! But you probably would have, anyway, even without the spell, I dare say. It'll take until about tomorrow afternoon, but by then I'll have the antidote written, and you can go to the ball. Isn't that grand?"

I nodded a little, and his smile wavered a little.

"But, you're in love with me, hm? Ha ha! At least I picked a good man for the job! It would be terrible if you were to fall for a bad guy, but I'm nearly perfect. I'm handsome- devilishly so- and smart. I'm like a work of art if God's prized museum! I'm a sculpture by the greatest sculptor in the world! A creation of genius, that's me! Oh, I flatter myself, but it's the truth, and I never lie. I am far above many men in looks, and brains, to be sure. My thoughts are gentle, and my touch in sensual, and my voice is like a flawless melody produced only by the most brilliant angel himself! Oh, but I am only a humble creature." He went on and on, flailing and hugging himself, and I was left to just fall in love with his voice.

Before he left that night, he gave me a sad smile. "I'm sorry you're stuck here."

"Don't be," I told him. "It's ok. It wasn't your fault. You're a good person, Tamaki. Don't beat yourself up. It will be ok."

He was utterly quiet for a long time, then went on to explain: "She's just worried that you'll steal me away. She's not a bad person; just lonely."

Tamaki's heart seemed to shine like beautiful gold to me.

**--**

The next morning, I woke up on the small cot that sat in the dark basement. I woke with a smile, because I knew Tamaki would be waiting for me upstairs- unless it had all just been a dream? _No, that's ridiculous! Why would I be in the basement if it had been a dream?_

I crept up the stairs, and immediately, the song began. It filled me, emptied me, and left me feeling as if I was falling, falling, falling.

The song ended abruptly, making me feel unfulfilled and disappointed, but happy to end the feeling of eternal falling.

Tamaki turned to me, and my stomach did not flop.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

I touched my chest over my heart. "I... think I'm better."

He smiled and motioned for me to walk over to him. I did, and he patted my head. At the touch, my heart swooped. "I'm glad," he said, "that you've fallen out of love with me."

"...Mmhmm."

Eclair growled. "Play it again!"

Tamaki turned to her. "Why?"

"Just do it!"

He began to play, and the song had no special effect on me.

She stared at me through her dainty binoculars. "Again!" she screamed.

He played it again.

"Again!"

He played it again.

"Ag-"

"Stop this!" I interrupted. "Why are you making him do this? Tamaki, why don't you say no?"

"Because you're still in love with him!" Eclair yelled to me.

"I'm not in love with him!"

She scowled, but did not argue. I turned and left. The door that clicked behind me made me feel very empty and sad.

I walked around town, idly thinking of only my father and his health. Was he still alive? I had no idea.

It was then that I bumped into Kyoya.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "Sorry, are you ok?"

"Oh, Princess Haruhi. Yes, I'm fine. Are you ok?"

I nodded.

"What's wrong, Princess?"

"It's just that... my father's really sick."

Kyoya smiled. "Come with me."

I followed him to the forest, where a bunch of forest faeries were flittering around.

"Kyoya!" they squeaked. A bunch gathered around him, and he smiled at them all.

"It's nice to see you all again."

"Do you need something?" they asked in unison. Their little yellow dressed belled out, and yellow faerie dust fell from their wings that fluttered at the speed of a hummingbird's.

"Could you girls do me a favor?"

"Of course!"

"This is Princess Haruhi. Her father has the terrible illness. I know you can not heal everyone, and that it takes a lot of energy,, but could you do it for our king?"

"We'll do it for you!" they exclaimed, giggling. Then, they turned to me. "Consider him better, Princess Haruhi!"

I smiled. "Thank you."

They gathered in a circle and took the hands of the faerie next to them. Soon, a small yellow ball formed in the circle, and I could see my father in it. He laid in a bed, sick, half dead.

He coughed. "H-Haruhi? Kotoko? Kotoko?"

I turned away, and tears fell down my cheeks.

He coughed terribly, and the faeries began to hum. Soon, it was quiet, and I thought he was dead.

"Dad?" I screamed, turing around.

"His fever broke," Kyoya told me. "He'll be better by tomorrow."

Then, the faeries all fell from midair, and I raced to catch them.

"What happened?"

"They're sleeping."

"Are they going to be ok?"

"Yes. It just took a lot of energy. Put them down and let them rest. They're safe here. We must get ready for the festival."

I placed them down gently and followed Kyoya to a small shop.

It was a tailor, and in the windows were beautiful dresses. "Come inside, and get your dress, Princess."

"You can call me Haruhi," I told him.

He smiled. "Go get one, Haruhi."

Inside were Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Eh? What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"This is our parents shop," Kaoru told me.

"So we picked out your dress!" Hikaru said through his teeth.

They held up a dress- a large, bulky thing in a pink color that made me almost recoil.

"W-why that?"

"It's cute!" they exclaimed. "Plus, it'll make you stand out! You want Tono to notice you, don't you?"

"Not... not particularly."

They threw it at me and pushed me into a changing room. "Try it on!"

I put on the pretty dress first, a small white thing that tied with a yellow ribbon- which was about the same color as Tamaki's hair- around my waist. The dress was very long and flowy, and the jacket that went over it was so much worse. It was big, heavy, and pink. There was a large bow on my lover back, and a bow over my chest. It was terribly hot inside of the layers, but I had a feeling that I would have no way out of this ridiculous costume.

I walked out, and the twins gave me four thumbs up. "Cute!" they exclaimed.

I frowned.

"It'll get his attention. Remember, Haruhi, you must save him. He needs you."

I frowned more. I had to keep Eclair from getting my throne by protecting a narcissist?

My eyes widened. _I've never thought of him as a narcissist before. Even when he went on talking about- what? That his voice was a song from the angels? I must have just been tired._

"The festival will be starting soon," Kyoya explained. "Are you ready to protect that idiot?"

"I'm ready to protect my crown."

"Hm? So that's your reasoning?"

"Eclair threatened that once she got Tamaki, she's get my crown, but she has him, and hasn't gone after the throne yet. Was it an empty threat?"

"No. She knows you're fated for each other. She wants you dead. She has the strongest magic, and once the royal family is out of the picture, your followers can't say anything to object."

"Dead? Why?"

"Then there will be no one to interfere."

I sighed. "I don't want to die."

Hikaru and Kaoru scowled. "Then go get Tono to fall for you!"

"Why?"

Kyoya motioned for the brothers to be quiet. "You'll see."

**--**

The festival came quickly. I went in my ridiculous getup, and the first thing I saw was Tamaki, surrounded by a group of bold girls, ignoring Eclair's glare. I sighed, and walked over to him. She grabbed onto his sleeve, and he looked up to see me.

"Princess!" he exclaimed. Eclair tightened her grip, and Tamaki lowered his excitement. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"Good. Have you ever been to a festival in Ouran before?"

I shook my head.

He smiled happily. "I'll be happy to show you what it's like."

Eclair looked up at him with a scowl.

He met her eyes, then turned to me with a sad smile. "But maybe another time."

The rejection, for some reason, hurt.

I turned to Eclair. "Alright, fine. You have Tamaki. When are you going after the crown, too?"

She looked genuinely surprised. "What?"

"Hani and Mori told me that you want the throne."

"My, my. It looks like someone's been spreading lies. I'm not at all interested in being royalty."

I stared at her, then took off in the opposite direction, in search of Hani and Mori.

It took a little while, but I found them innocently mingling with a group of girls. With them was Kyoya, Hikaru, and Kaoru.

"You lied!" I yelled.

They turned to me, and their faces grew serious. Kyoya shooed the girls away.

Hani spoke first. "Yes, we did."

"Why?"

"Because," Kaoru started, "we were afraid you'd go home."

"That's not fair! Why would you put me through this?"

Hikaru stared at me through angry eyes. "We... we were worried about Tono! Is that so bad? You are in his stars, but you're both so thick you'd never notice that you were in love with each other!"

"That was only because of the song!"

"No, that's not true!" Hani told me. "Don't think that, Haru-chan!"

"Then what am I supposed to think, huh?"

"You did fall in love with him because of the song," Kyoya said, "but he reversed the spell, and you're still excited to talk to him, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"That's because you've fallen for him by yourself. He can't alter feelings that already exist naturally."

"So?"

"So," Kaoru began, "you fell in love with him on your own."

"I barely even know him."

"He's the kind of guy your mother wanted for you, isn't he?" Renge asked as she came up behind me. "He's smart, handsome, and sweet. In all ways, he's perfectly suited for you. Had it not been for his social class, you'd have known him long ago." She shrugged. "He has a problem with his narcissism, but no one is perfect. You help him overcome it. Did you notice? He's humbled by you, Princess. He feels blessed just to be able to see you."

I stared at my feet. If that was true, then I knew I wouldn't be able to leave without him. _Is this true, Mom? Did you chose him for me?_

Hani looked up at me. "Do you remember our test? The one with the girl that you stopped? We had to know your heart, Haru-chan. Hika-chan and Kao-chan found out your ability to see past words. Tama-chan will hide his sadness from you, so we wanted to see if you could detect it. Our test was to see your bravery. Just because you can tell someone's heart doesn't mean you will act on it. When you put your crown- your entire life- at stake to save three strangers, all of us came to trust you. Right, Takashi?"

"Yeah."

I looked at them, and they just smiled at me. Then, a sound made me turn on my heels. Tamaki was playing the piano on stage. A gentle song filled the air, and I walked, entranced, to a seat where I could listen. I pushed my way through a crowd of women, and sat in the front on a wooden bench with barely enough room for me. The music was so sweet and sad, that it lulled me into a sleep.

In my dream, I was in the castle, a home I had not seen for many years. My mother was sitting on my bed with a smile. She patted the bed. _Come here, Haruhi. _

I ran over to her. I was stuck in my small six-year-old body, and had to climb onto the bed. _Mom? It's been so long._

_I know, my love. I'm so sorry._

_I'm just happy to see you, _I told her as I hugged her with all my strength. She hugged me back, and I almost felt her heartbeat against my ear. _I love you! I wish you hadn't-_

_Haruhi, can you see the stars? _She pointed out the window to a black sky dotted with stars.

_Stars? Yes._

_Your story is up there._

_My... story?_

She nodded. _A story. Do you believe it?_

_Not really.  
_

She laughed. _I didn't think you would. Honey, sometimes, you have to believe in the unbelievable. Magic exists in the heart, and your heart has been so empty that it can not accept magic anymore. Our world- rather, your world- is not made of logic. Open your beautiful eyes, baby. See with your heart, instead of your head. Have faith in something that you can not understand. And always remember that love is eternal. If it's not eternal, it's not love. _She handed me a bouquet of roses: a blue, orange, black, purple, pink, and white one. _You'll see._

A crack of thunder woke me with a start. The girls who had been sitting around me were squealing as the rain poured down.

Lightning flashed, and I gripped the edges of my skirt. I ducked under the bench in my panic, and thunder clapped again. I put my hands over my ears, and waited for the storm to pass.

"Princess?"

I looked up, teary-eyed, to see Tamaki, drenched. Lightning stuck, and I closed my eyes.

"Are you... afraid of thunder?"

Thunder and lightning shook me in unison- the storm was right above us. I squeaked a little, and then arms wrapped around me.

"I'll protect you," he whispered into my ear.

I buried my head in his chest, terrified of the loud sounds and bright electricity that could possibly zap through my body and kill me.

We stayed like that until the storm stopped, at least thirty minutes later. I was still afraid, but it was easier to be afraid when someone was trying to protect you. When Tamaki covered me from the rain, covering one of my ears with his shoulder and talking into my other ear is a vain effort to block out the sounds of the thunder, I felt a strange feeling that overtook my fear and dominated it.

By the time the storm ended, I had fallen asleep in his arms. I woke up in a bed in a familiar little house. Tamaki sat in a chair at the edge of the bed I was laying in.

Tamaki turned to me. "You're awake!"

"What time is it?"

"It's still early. Are you sick? We were in the rain for a long time."

"No, I'm fine."

"That's good. I was worried."

My face became hot. "Thanks," I told him as I stared at the bed sheet. "Wait- where's Eclair?"

"She's left."

"Left?"

Tamaki nodded. "Do you remember what I told you about her? She's not evil, just lonely. I told her that I could have nothing to do with her."

"It was that simple?"

Tamaki chuckled. "You make it seem that way. I've never made a girl cry that way before- not since my mother."

"What happened to your mother?"

"She had me when my father was married to another woman. Well, that other woman found out, and left my father. My grandmother told my mother that she would keep her disgrace a secret if she handed me over, and if she didn't, my grandmother threatened to tell everyone. I left my mother to keep her honor, and came to live with my father, who claimed I was the son of his wife." He turned to me. "She cried the day I left. That was the first time I felt my heart break. I just made Eclair feel the exact same way I had. It makes me feel like," he tried to smile a little, but his lips trembled a little, "a terrible person."

I climbed across the bed to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "It's ok. Now she can find someone who really loves her."

Tamaki's smile gained confidence. "That's what I pray for."

"When I was six, my mother got the illness that was overtaking this country like wildfire. My father handed me to the maids, who took me to a little house to be away from the illness. She died there, several days later, without me by her side. I left her to die because I was afraid. Later, my father left the castle and came to live with me in the little house, instead of moving me back. It would have hurt too much to go back there."

Tamaki placed his hand on mine as Hikaru and Kaoru walked in. "Oh, good. You're getting lovey-dovey."

"Eh?" I exclaimed. "That's not true!"

Tamaki smiled widely. "Oh, Princess! Are you really in love with me?"

"No!" I exclaimed indignantly.

"The ball is going to start soon," Kyoya said as he walked through the doorway. "Are you going?"

"Uh, I don't really like balls," I said skeptically. "I think I'll pass."

"Alright, I'll rephrase," Kyoya said with a hint of annoyance. "Get up and get dressed for the ball."

I frowned, but did what he said. Kyoya just wasn't the type of person to argue with when he was ordering you around. I was thrust into the same dress, but without the ridiculous overcoat. I went to the ball in Tamaki's carriage, headed by two plain horses. I danced with all six of the boys I had met whilst in Ouran.

Hani wore a light pink shirt, and had a pink rose to match. Mori had a black rose to match his suit. Kaoru had an orange rose to match his cuff links. Hikaru had a blue rose to match his jacket. Kyoya had a purple rose to match his shirt. Tamaki had a white rose to match his suit.

My final dance was with Tamaki. He gave me a single red rose and he smiled as he took my hand in his.

Silently, we waltzed to the sound of the piano that played in the huge and crowded ballroom.

Suddenly, the music stopped. "Haruhi!"

I turned, and saw my father.

"Dad?"

"Your highness!" Tamaki said, dropping my hands and bowing.

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other and shrugged. "Your highness?" I heard them ask each other over the whispering and gossip.

Kyoya came forth, and spoke to my father. "I hope, King Ranka, that you can pardon our ball."

"I have no problems with your ball, but I'm wondering what my daughter is doing here, dancing with that peasant!"

"Your highness, you must not be as ignorant as you pretend to be."

My father frowned. "That is true. But is it not too early for them to meet?"

Kyoya shook his head. "Renge said the queen was looking over it all."

"Mom?" I asked.

My father nodded. "She came to me in a dream once, almost immediately after her death, and promised you to Tamaki the Healer, a boy from Ouran. The boy who can heal any pain of the heart, even yours."

I placed my hand over my heart. "I'm fine. I've always been fine."

My father hugged me. "That's because you've never felt what it's like to be healed. That's my fault. I'm sorry, Haruhi."

Sadly, I hugged my father back. Deep inside of me, I knew that my heart had been broken since the death of my mother. "I'm ok, Dad."

He hugged me tighter, and Renge's words haunted me. _Each time you forced yourself to smile, I see him crying._

Tamaki placed a hand on my shoulder, and my father threw him across the room. "But you're still too young! Let's go home, my dear," he exclaimed, grabbing my arm and tugging me.

Hani and Mori blocked the door.

Dad sighed and let me go. "Understood," he muttered. For the first time, he let me go.

Tamaki walked over to me slowly, shyly. He put out his hand, which I took.

My father burst out in tears. "You leave the father that always took care of you?"

I smiled at my dad. "Thank you."

His tears stopped. "I love you." He glared at Tamaki, and turned back to me. "Remember, Haruhi, that love is eternal. If it's not eternal, it's not love."

I nodded. "I know. Mom told me."

He seems in shock, but I turned to Tamaki with a smile. He smiled back, and we began to dance again, before the piano player had composed himself enough to begin again.

**The End.**

* * *

So, that was for the contest. Hope ya like! x3


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